The Tsolekile-de Villiers Saga

MANY people didn’t expected Highveld Lions Wicket-keeper batsman, Thami Tsolekile to be dropped from the South African squad –including Tsolekile himself concurs his franchise coach, Geoffrey Toyana. “Thami was very disappointed to hear that he had not been selected for the New Zealand tour to South Africa -especially after he was promised to play. But you know Thami, he’s a fighter and I can assure you he shall keep pushing the boundaries.” said Toyana.

After being promised by Cricket South Africa (CSA) convenor of selector, Andrew Hudson, to take over the glove duties in the Test series against New Zealand, Tsolekile was astonished to have not found his name in the South African Test squad to play the Black Caps. Knights and Titans batsmen, Dean Elgar and Jacques Rudolph, were still kept in the Proteas Test squad despite them both failing in Australia when given a chance with the bat.

The two batsmen had scores of 43, 9 not out and 9, 77 respectively in their recent Sunfoil Series matches coming back from their tour of Australia. Elgar grafted 21 runs off 52 balls in South Africa’s first innings against New Zealand in the first Test match; then scored a beautiful century in the second and final Test match against the Black Caps at St Georgies Park, Port Elizabeth. Tsolekile scored an unbeaten 88 against the Warriors and 46 against the Knights in that similar time frame as Elgar and Rudolph.

CSA selectors simply don’t have confidence nor are they supportive with Tsolekile’s abilities with the bat despite him relentlessly producing the goods for the Lions outfit. This also forms speculation around Tsolekile’s sudden CSA contract when he had not yet played for the Proteas since 2005. When Neil McKenzie’s international career was resurrected in early 2008 thanks to good knocks playing for the Lions, he took his golden opportunity by scoring 226 runs and obtaining the highest partnership record for the first wicket of 415 runs, along fellow opening batsman Graeme Smith against Bangladesh. He then scored an unbeaten 155 against India in Chennai then followed it up by an important and very patient 138 runs off 447 balls at Lords against England in 2008. McKenzie had scored 1050 runs in the calendar year of 2008.

After a dismal series in Australia and constantly being exposed with the new ball by the Australian fast bowlers, McKenzie was dropped from the Test side –despite scoring a desperate 59 runs not out in Melbourne. McKenzie was never looked at again for Test cricket selection. Rudolph was blessed with the same opportunity similar to McKenzie when he was selected to play for the Proteas in the summer of 2011. Since then Rudolph has played in 13 Test matches and has only managed to score one century and three half-centuries against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England. Many could argue that McKenzie deserved more time, just as Rudolph, especially with the figures he had produced with the bat in just 2008.

Many wicket-keepers speak of the profession in a prestigious manner. They’re dedication to the art of wicket-keeping is unbelievable. All these wicket-keepers started their cricketing careers with the gloves from high school cricket then grow up with the skill into professional cricket. AB De Villiers’ journey into the keeping duties is simply a mockery towards the art of wicket-keeping. Picking and choosing which format of the game you want to take wicket and not take wicket is a spit on the face for those other wicket-keepers who work tirelessly on their keeping skills. You can’t compare De Villiers with New Zealand wicket-keeper, Brendon McCullum, because he initially is a wicket keeper. So if he feels that the gloves are affecting his batting in certain formats of the game, he can by all means drop the gloves and instead focus on his batting. He is a wicket-keeper batsman –not a part-time wicket-keeper batsman like De Villiers. If De Villiers is serious about wicket-keeping then he has to take the gloves for all formats of the game just as Mark Boucher had done.  

So what are the verdicts that come out of these statistics? Firstly is that it’s not a matter of coaches or the selection panel being racist as people are quick to assume, but a matter of inconsistency within the South African selection panel. It is evident to similar statistics to these that player selections for different players are biased. Secondly, it’s vividly evident that certain players in the national team just do as they please and the management team will in a posh manner accept any demands made by these players. According to Herschelle Gibbs’ book, To the Point, similar tales are highlighted in this article exist within the South African cricket camp.   

What’s now done certainly cannot be undone. CSA have already granted Tsolekile a CSA contract, despite the selectors not eager to use his wicket-keeper services for the national side. Arguments and debates won’t solve Tsolekile’s problem. Tsolekile has to be given a chance if he continues with his form in domestic four-day cricket. And when he’s given the opportunity, De Villiers has to play as a batsman. It’s that simple. It’s unquestionable that Tsolekile has the best wicket-keeper skills in South Africa at the moment. Statistics of recent seasons and performances prove it.

-Mandilulame Manjezi
@JizzyJakesTheIn
www.jizzyjakes.blogspot.com

Young Gems Are All Set To Sparkle

[This is my first newspaper article -20 December 2012 for the Daily Dispatch. A very special moment for me, achieving such in my 1st year of journalism. The Dispatch is only available in the Eastern Cape so many people in other provinces weren't able to read the article. Well here it is. Hope you enjoy it. :)]

IF you ever have the opportunity to enter the Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium’s reception office in East London, being conscious of it or not, your curiosity will instantly kick in once you see the trophy cabinets.

On the wall of fame, you’ll discover an array of cricket players and coaches originally from the Border Cricket Union on display.
 One will see Makhaya Ntini, Raymond Booi, Angelique Taai’s
framed portraits in their South African blazers.
 A sense of pride will instantly flow through your veins like a witchdocter being hit by an epiphany.

But the names mentioned here are just the minor successes Border Cricket have managed to propel to national stardom in recent years.
 The current crop of black cricketers in Border Cricket –ranging from school to professional level –the future seems brighter than ever for South Africa’s historical cricketing region.

Already this year Border Cricket have witnessed some brilliant individual performances.
Border amateur opening batsman Vuyisa Makhaphela’s innings of 165 of 501 balls against KwaZulu-Natal Inland was a sign of a batsman steadily emerging.
 Border U19 left-arm seam bowler, Ngazibini Sigwili, has shown tremendous progress.
 His 6/25 against Namibia U19 in the schools inaugural Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week, proved to both Border coaches and selectors he’s truly a talent ready to blossom.

The Border Cricket Union has set up various programmes to develop and maintain Border talent from the time they leave school.
 Border Cricket coaches’ manager, Deon Muller, explained passionately how the current system works to assist black cricketers in the region graduate to provincial and hopefully international cricket honours.
 “We have academies put in place for all the various regions that fall under Border Cricket,” he said.


 “People have asked me questions about why a player like Mkhululi Calana is not playing for the Boder amateur side despite him playing for the SA Schools’ Colts last year.
 “This is simply because we are still working with him at one of our various cricket academies.
 “We want to make sure so that when he gets the chance to play amateur cricket, he’s ready and not just pushed into the set-up when he’s not prepared for the type of cricket played at a higher level.

These academies Muller speaks about are training camps that take place throughout the year to monitor the consistency and form of young cricketers.
 Academies for cricketers still in school usually train between May and September.
 Academies for potential amateur cricketers take place in the latter end of the year from September to next year April.

Border Amateur coach, Frank Plaatjes, commends Border Cricket Union for its consistent work and dedication in ensuring black cricket transformation in the region.
 “Some coaches around the country don’t have faith in their black cricketers but our approach is different,” he said.
“In the past few decades Border Cricket has shown its outmost dedication towards our black players and in return they have shown their appreciation by excelling far beyond of what is expected of them.”

-Mandilulame Manjezi
 @JizzyJakesTheIn